The local tube cladding utilizes mechanics of deformation at the interface of the punch and the tube. More specifically, the punch shape influences the material flow and the pressure at the interface. This study investigates the cladding of AA6060/SS304 bimetallic tubes using a spherical tipped punch of varying diameter at a constant rate of 5 mm/min. Different from previous studies, where axial feed rate seemed to take precedence, in this study the punch diameter was isolated as the primary variable, and the effects on deformation stability, bonding mechanics, and surface finish, were documented.Two sets of experiments were performed using a spherical tipped punch of 65 mm and 69 mm diameter. Under the studied conditions, cladding was successfully completed using the 65 mm diameter punch with a maximum forming load of 44 kN. The 69 mm diameter punch, however, achieved a maximum forming load of 88 kN, showing unstable deformation with flange rupture, material back flow, and thinning. Although forming was not successful, the larger diameter punch increased the maximum interfacial shear load from 5.35 kN to 21.46 kN and decreased the surface roughness from 0.7133 µm to 0.6325 µm. The 65 mm punch produced cladded tubes with a greater average hardness value of 52.06 HV compared to 51.89 HV of the 69 mm punch. Overall, under the investigated forming conditions, changing the punch diameter from 65 mm to 69 mm resulted in clear differences in forming load, deformation stability, maximum interfacial shear load, and surface roughness.
Biophilic design is acknowledged as a crucial strategy for improving student engagement, enhancing their well-being, cognitive performance, and engagement in contemporary learning environments. However, existing biophilic evaluation methods are largely static and require cross-cultural validation, especially across East Asian and Middle Eastern environments. Egypt and China were chosen for this study because they offer a strong comparative framework and have different climates, educational philosophies, and degrees of technology integration. Simultaneously, the development of architectural techniques capable of assessing the biophilic impact of mixed reality (MR) technologies has lagged behind the fast incorporation of MR technology in schools. By creating and evaluating the Biophilic Measurement Assessment Equation (BMAE), a quantitative model that incorporates Traditional Biophilic Elements (TBE), Immersive Biophilic Elements (IBE), and Behavioral and Emotional Indicators (BEI), this work fills in these gaps. Cross-cultural empirical research with a sample of 200 students was carried out at four international schools, two in Egypt and two in China. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate strong measurement reliability and model fit (SRMR = 0.058), with biophilic factors explaining 72% of the variance in learning cognitive engagement (R² = 0.72). Among the constructs, BEI emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.392), followed by TBE (β = 0.312) and IBE (β = 0.278), all statistically significant (p < 0.001). The findings establish BMAE as a robust, transferable assessment framework, offering a methodological contribution to evidence-based architectural design of immersive biophilic learning environments across diverse cultural settings.
This study examines the seismic fragility of cable‑stayed bridges using an integrated probabilistic framework that explicitly incorporates spatial variability of ground motion, soil liquefaction, and nonlinear cable behavior. A detailed numerical model of the seven‑span, 730 m Suez Canal Bridge is developed in OpenSees and analyzed through nonlinear incremental dynamic analysis using twenty recorded bedrock ground motions from the PEER database. Spatial variability is represented through apparent seismic wave velocities of 100, 430, and 1000 m/s and benchmarked against uniform excitation to quantify wave‑passage effects. Soil profiles corresponding to dense sand, dry loose sand, and saturated loose sand are considered, with liquefaction simulated through a thin soft interlayer. A slackening‑based fragility methodology is introduced, evaluating cable vulnerability through loss of pretension rather than conventional yield‑strain criteria. Fragility functions are developed for elastomeric bearings, expansion joints, tower drift, section curvature, and cable yielding and slackening across four damage states using peak ground velocity as the intensity measure. Results indicate that spatial variability induces mixed, mechanism‑dependent effects: wave passage reduces displacement‑controlled fragility in bearings and expansion joints by desynchronizing support motions, whereas higher apparent wave velocities create more coherent support movement that increases curvature demands in towers and piers. For stay cables, spatial variability induces phase‑lag motions that trigger earlier and stronger slackening. Liquefaction further amplifies fragility for bearings, joints, and piers through soil softening and increases slackening susceptibility without significantly affecting cable yield strain. These findings highlight the importance of considering wave propagation, soil softening, and pretension loss in fragility assessments.
Embankments reinforced with piles and geosynthetic is one of the improvement techniques that provides a good solution for rapid construction of highways and roads over poor grounds (e.g., soft clay, peat, loose sand, etc.). In this paper, a case history of highway project, which was constructed rapidly on weak soil deposits in Alexandria, Egypt, is presented. Moreover, because of the complexity of the problem of soil-structure interaction associated with reinforced pile embankment, finite element method (FEM) PLAXIS 2D subroutine was utilized to simulate the problem and to investigate the response of the embankment during construction, operation, and seismic event. The numerical modeling results revealed that, the proposed system of piled-embankment reinforced with geosynthetic founded on a soft clay has a substantial impact on reducing both of vertical settlements and construction time significantly. The numerical model predicted a reduction in total vertical settlement from 250 mm to 90 mm (i.e., 64% reduction percentage) compared to the calculated values of the unreinforced embankment numerical model. Furthermore, the proposed treatment method gave acceptable stability results in terms of safety factors for static (FOS=3.9) and seismic (FOS=2) states compared to the unreinforced embankment which failed to give the minimum required safety factors by design standards and regulations.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown in early 2020, museums closed their doors and shifted online. Building on recent advancements in digital technologies, they utilized virtual reality (VR) and other technologies to engage visitors and enhance their virtual museum experiences. Nevertheless, museums' VR efforts concentrate on singleton (individual) visits, even though visiting a museum is inherently a social experience. This research illuminates the social dimensions of the virtual museum through a non-holistic approach to explore the impact of social presence on the narrative construction of artifacts in a virtual art museum named "Soul versus Souls," deployed on the Spatial.io metaverse platform. The authors utilized a quasi-experimental approach to control the variables and translate conceptual definitions into operational terms that can be measured and observed. They assessed the museum narrative based on visit style (visitors' movement patterns), visit time (duration of the visit), and visitor narration (self-reflection and non-verbal interactions). The authors employed protocol analysis, observations, and retrospective interviews to document and analyze the findings. The experimental findings suggest that smaller groups facilitate focused conversations, which enhance engagement with the artifacts, while larger groups may introduce distractions that hinder narrative construction.
